Shipping tag



`SHIPPING mel l Filed Decz.A 20, 1926 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

CARL A. FLOCD, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DENNISON MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 0F FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SHIPPING TAG.

Application filed December 20, 1926. Serial No. 155,803.

This invention relates to an improved form of patch for reinforcing a tag of vcardboard or the like and to the combination of a patch of this character with the tag.

Cardboard tags for shipping and identitication purposes are commonly manufactured in large quantities and sold at nominal prices under highly competitive conditions, it thus being essential to produce these articles at the lowest possible cost without sacrificing utility in the' hands of the ultimate user. It is common to \provide tags of this character with openings near one end for the attachment of strings, cords, or wires in order to secure them to bundles, bales, or packages, and it is usual to reinforce this port-ion of the cardboard with patches which surround the opening and prevent the fastelling element, such as the cord, from tearing out the end of the tag. Oft times patches of this character are held in place by metal eyelets riveted over registering openings in the patch end hole, while in other cases a patchis adhesively secured to one or both sides of -the tag. Obviously tags of this character are subjected to considerable abuse and rough usage A'and often are exposed to the weather for indefinite periods of time. In ordinary use the point of greatest strain and the point at which the tag is mostlikely to failis between the hole or opening for the string and the nearest edge'of the tag, thus effective reinforcement of this part of the article is particularly desirable. l

The present invention discloses a form of patch which answers these requirements, be-I ing economical in the use of material and yet having the same distributed to the best advantage in order to give the greatest strength and reinforcing effect at the 'point of greatest normal vstraln and in order to provide a suitable area for the application of indicia of any desired character and for adhesive attachment to the tag.

The above and further objects and advantageous features attributable tothe present invention willlbe apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading the subjoined description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which,

tag ving a patch formed in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 1 is an=elevational view of a shipping Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the patch per se. v

The present invention, as may be seen by reference to the accompanying drawings provides a patch 1 which is adapted to re inforce the portion of tag 2 which surrounds the opening 3 for reception of the securing'string 4. The patch comprises ,a reinforcement for the entire area of the tag between hole 3 and the adjoining edge 5 of the tag. In order to accomplish this purpose the patch is provided with a straight edge, designated by the numeral 6, which is adapted to be aligned with the edge 5 of the tag. The patch also has a straight edge 7 opposite the edge 6 and parallel thereto, such an arrangement of opposed edges being desirable since economy of material is permitted thereby, the patches ordinarily being cut .from an elongate strip of material, wherein edge 7 of one patch lies adjacent to the edge 6 of the adjoinin patch.

Since the fastening cordg4 normally tends to pull out of the opening 3, it is desirable to provide an opening l0 in the patchv to be aligned with opening 3 and to give the adjoining sides of the patch a convex'curvature 12 in order to provide a suitable width of material symmetrically disposed at either side of the registered openings 3 and 10. Preferably the material of the patch is asymmetrically disposed in relation to the opening 10 so that a greater portion thereof is between that opening and the edge 5 or the outer edge of the tag, thus locating the greater area of the reinforcing patch at that side of the opening 3 where tearing or breaking of the tag is most likely to occur. As disclosed in the drawings, the edge of the patch is preferably given a convex curvature at either side of the opening 10 while the broader portion of the patch thus formed about the hole 10 merges into the strai ht edge portion 6 by means of a neck 11, t e margins of which may have a concave curvature. While the bulged sides of the patch thus taper from the region of the opening to the narrowest part thereof formed by the neck 11, p

disclosed maybe secured to the tags either by being adhesively affixed thereto or that they may be provided with metal eyelets in place of or in addition to the adhesive material and that they may be located upon one or both faces of the tags, as desired. Obviously, a patch of this character permits of an extremely economical and effective distribution of the sheet material from which the patches are made. Furthermore, the provision of parallel straight edges upon the patch makes it easy to sever individual patches from a strip of the same, which is an important factor in quantity production, and permits the edge 6 of the patch etfectively to reinforce the edge of the tag at the most vulnerable point. A patch of this character provides a sufficiently large area for printing or Writing indicia thereon which is often advantageous in articles of this character. The greater width ot the patch about the opening provides suitable reinforcement at this point, while the narrower extent of other p arts of the patch permits economy in material without sacrificing reinforcing effect, or utility.

I claim:

1. The combination of a tag of sheet material having an opening for a securing cord or the like, and a reinforcing cardboard patch with an opening registering with the firstnamed opening, said patch having two parallel straight edges, one of which is disposed in juxtaposed relation to the edge of the tag which is nearest the opening and having two other edges provided with an outward bulge in the region of the opening, whereby this portion of the patch has a greater width in order properly to reinforce the portion of the tag surrounding the opening, the patch being confined wholly to one side of the tag and being narrower at the edge of the tag than in the region of said opening.

2. The combination of a tag of sheet material having an opening for a securing cord or the like, and a reinforcing cardboard patch with an opening registering with the firstnamed opening, said patch having its ends parallel, one of said ends being in juxtaposed relation to the edge of the tag which is nearest said opening, and having its sides arranged to provide it with its maximum width in the region ot' the opening and tapered to provide it with its minimum width near the edge ofthe tag, whereby the patch may properly reinforce the portion of the tag surrounding the opening, the patch being cemented to one side of the tag and being narrower at the edge of the tag than in the region of said opening.

3. The combination of a tag of sheet material having an opening for a securing cord or the like, and a reinforcing patch with an opening registering with the first-named opening, said patch having parallel ends, one ot which is substantially parallel and juxtaposed to the edge of the tag nearest the openings therein, thegopening in the patch being at a greater Adistance from said last-named end than from the end which is parallel thereto, and also having sides provided with an outward bulge at the sides ofthe opening, whereby this portion of the patch has a greater width in order properly to reinforce the portion of the tag surrounding the opening, the patch Vbeing cemented to one side of the tag and having approximately minimum width at the edgeof the tag.

4. A patch for reinforcing a shipping tag or the like, said patch having opposite, parallel edges and an intermediate opening, the patch being symmetrical about a medial line extending through the opening and perpendicular to said edges, and being asymmetrical in relation to a line extending through the center of t-he opening perpendicular to the first-named line, the edges ofthe patch which are intersected by said last-named line having a convex curvature at either side of the open-l ing, the patch being confined wholly to one side of the tag and being narrower at the edge of the tag than in the region of said opening. 5. A patchfor reinforcing a shipping tag or the like, said patch having opposite, parallel edges and an intermediate opening, said opening being nearer one of said edges than the other, the patch being symmetrical about a medial line extending through the opening and perpendicular to said edges, and being asymmetrical in relation to any line extending through the opening and perpendicular to the first-named line, the edges of the patch which are intersected by said lastnamed line having a convex ccurvature at either side of the opening, said convexly curved edges merging into concavely curved portions which meet one of said parallel edges, the patch being cemented to one side of the' tag and being narrower at the edge of the tag than in the region of said opening.

Signed by me at Framingham, Massachusetts, this 9th day of December, 1926. 

